


Strawberry Cheesecakes

by bumpy_bug, justanothermess



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Learns To Bake, Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bakery, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I promise, Identity Reveal, Jealous Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Just Add Kittens, Kinda, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Is a Mess, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Tags Are Hard, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, Work In Progress, hawkmoth is an oversized child pass it on, i think, then we made a plot, there will be a lot of angst later on, they act like a couple, they're fifteen and sixteen, this was meant to be a one-shot for me, very slow updates, we have no idea where we're going with this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bumpy_bug/pseuds/bumpy_bug, https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanothermess/pseuds/justanothermess
Summary: “So? What do you think?” Sabine held up the leaflet advertising what was the bakery's newest project: baking classes. As soon as Marinette had come back from school, she had been bombarded by her parents who were waving about a stack of papers talking animatedly about weekend classes and had found herself sitting on one of the bakery’s empty chairs, bag half unzipped and forgotten on the floor.“Sure, mom. I'd be glad to help.”Why did she feel like she’d regret this?---There was a slight creak as the door opened a slither. He knew Nathalie had managed to convince his father to let him go to the bakery class today, but Adrien didn’t want another confrontation anyhow. Deeming the coast to be clear, he slipped into the hallway and began his sneaky trip to Marinette’s bakery.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The working title for this chapter was "Chapter 1 aka the chapter where character development begins". Beware. Updates will be very slow.

“Adrieeeeen. It's soo late. Why are you still doing homework?” Plagg whined. The black kwami was floating in the air, cradling a piece of camembert in his tiny paws. Flying over to the desk, Plagg nudged the pen out of his owner’s hand. Adrien slumped forwards and rested his head on the history essay dejectedly.

Adrien knew it was a mistake to leave it till the last minute. In the space of two hours, he had gotten maybe two hundred words down out of the six hundred he needed to have handed in by tomorrow. He had been woken up at an outrageous hour to do a photo shoot before school, resulting in him resembling a walking zombie for the whole school day. It hadn’t helped that he had gone to fencing after school, too.

“Go away Plagg, I need to focus!” Adrien moaned, running a hand through his blonde locks, tangled from the repeated motion. He picked up his pen once more, only for his view to be blocked by his meddlesome kwami once again. “Need I remind you, oh-starstruck-lover, that you are forgetting you have patrol tonight? With your ‘love-bug’?” Adrien started at the reminder, sitting up suddenly. Glancing towards the clock, he realised that his kwami had been right and there were exactly four minutes left till he was meant to meet Ladybug. “Plagg claws out!” he called hastily as the green light enveloped him.

Once his transformation was complete, he crossed the room in two leaps and jumped into the night beyond his open window, leaving behind his fatigue and worry in the process. The dark sky was punctuated by stars and the moon shone brightly. 

He felt a low thrill in his bones at the thought of being out on the roofs of Paris once again with the crisp night air rushing through his air and the warmth of seeing Ladybug once more. Hopefully, he wasn’t too late; he’d hate to keep his lady waiting, after all.

\---

“So? What do you think?” Sabine held up the leaflet advertising what was the bakery's newest project: baking classes. As soon as Marinette had come back from school, she had been bombarded by her parents who were waving about a stack of papers talking animatedly about weekend classes and had found herself sitting on one of the bakery’s empty chairs, bag half unzipped and forgotten on the floor.

“Sure, mom. I'd be glad to help.”

Why did she feel like she’d regret this?

“And the sign-up forms?” Her mother pulled out a set of papers, seemingly out of nowhere.

“I promise I’ll tell my class tomorrow and take them with me.”

Marinette sighed internally as she added yet another section to her already large mental list of activities. She could see many sleepless nights ahead of her trying to cover everything. Paris better be thankful Master Fu chose her instead of someone like Chloe.

“Great!” With a hum, Sabine went back to pinning up the posters onto the notice board.

As she grabbed her bag, she caught sight of her half-finished history essay and hastily stuffed the sign-up forms in the pockets before racing up the stairs to her room, grabbing some cookies on the way. She knew that, if she didn’t complete it now, it wouldn’t be done by tomorrow and there would be another strike to her name in the school records.

A few hours later, Tikki found Marinette face-down on her bed, groaning into her pillow. The discarded papers lay haphazardly around her, some crumpled and others filled with multiple crosses. Amidst the chaos, Tikki caught sight of a few discarded designs as well. She sighed, swallowing quietly.

Landing on the pillow, Tikki nibbled on her cookie and gently poked Marinette’s head. “Come on, Marinette! This homework isn’t going to get done if you lie in bed for the rest of the day,” she mumbled around a full mouth. Her antennae twitched as Marinette raised her head, groaning as she felt a familiar ache.

“I know, but I just can’t concentrate!” Marinette moaned, picking a few strands of dark hair from her face. “Tikki, do you think we can go to patrol a little bit early? We only have half an hour, and the air will help my headache.” Tikki nodded her agreement and finished eating her cookie. Scrambling to her feet, Marinette called upon her transformation and began to climb the ladder leading to her balcony. So maybe knocked over a few plants and tripped over her blanket but it’s okay, no one has to know.

\---

Ladybug swung her yo-yo and jumped onto the nearest rooftop. She revelled in the calm as her headache ebbed away leaving nothing but exhilaration. If she told thirteen-year-old Marinette that she would be running on the rooftops of Paris for stress-relief, she would probably laugh in her face before going back to designing or maybe daydreaming about Adrien. When she first discovered that being a superhero would involve jumping onto rooftops using only a yo-yo, albeit a magical yo-yo, she was scared out of her wits. A lot had changed since then.

The spotted heroine landed on the Eiffel Tower, just as the clock struck ten. One of the best things about being a superhero was being able to do this. Looking at her city, her home that she'd sworn to protect that first day, so calm, quiet with lights here and there; it was perfect.

“Having fun, m'lady?” Ladybug started at the voice now snickering softly in her ear. It was a common occurrence at this point and she should have anticipated it. On nights she got lost in her thoughts, he would sneak up on her and she fell for it every time. Every time, without fail.

“CHAT NOIR! How many times have I told you _not_ to sneak up on me?” She stood upstanding to face the leather-clad hero who looked slightly sheepish. Just like every other time, she'd scold him lightly.

“Sorry?” It was a common occurrence on their patrols, yet today Ladybug couldn’t find it in herself to care. To be fairly honest, she’d missed Chat. Not that she’d ever tell him that. He'd apologize but never stopped. Though she would never admit it out loud, it was nice.

And just like that, their banter carried on as they switched conversation back and forth between them. It was easy to do this without the heat of battle or the weight of the cameras, guarding each word she said.

Shaking her head to focus, she tapped Chat’s shoulder gently, “C’ mon kitty. Paris won’t protect itself and I’m exhausted already. Let’s finish quickly, yeah?” They both leapt off the monument, heading for the nearest roof.

\---

The next time Ladybug looked at the clock on her yo-yo, it was nearing two in the morning and she could feel her eyes burning with the effort to stay awake. The past few hours had been spent scouring the city for anything suspicious. Fortunately, other than a few odd crimes here and there, the superheroes had encountered no other obstacles. She mentally thanked Past Marinette for completing most of her homework, glad she didn’t have to wake up early to cover for the lost time.

Ladybug heard her miraculous beep sharply and looked ahead at the shape of the Eiffel Tower. They’d almost finished their third round. “Chaton? Should we call it a night? I think we’re good for now.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, another beep sounded as the first claw on Chat’s ring began to flash. “Got it. Cat-ch ya later, LB!” With a final salute, he leapt off the roof, bounding. Briefly, the spotted heroine wondered where he got that energy from before casting her yo-yo towards the direction of her own home.

\---

“Claws in.” Adrien jumped through the open window of his room, shivering in the cold air now that his suit didn’t protect him from it. A yawn left his mouth as he sluggishly went through the motions of getting changed and ready for bed. Behind him, Plagg quietly floated towards mini-fridge locating his camembert and began eating.

It was a routine both of them had established within the first few months after many hours wasted arguing about trivial matters and they eventually agreed that nothing major would be discussed after patrol; not since the Pillow Fight anyways. Many pillows and bedsheets lost their lives that night.

“G’night, Adrien,” Plagg whispered, settling on the pillow. He received a mumble in reply before the room went silent, broken only by occasional snores.

\---


	2. Chapter 2

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The shrill sound of the alarm rang in the room. A hand reached out from under the blankets to turn it off and Adrien let out a groan. This was what he got for leaving his homework until the last minute. He blinked blearily at his phone screen, wincing at the brightness. In bright white were the numbers 6:00 AM displayed on the lock screen.

Reluctantly, he got out of bed, immediately regretting it as the warmth swept away and he shivered. Almost on autopilot, he changed his clothes, styling his hair thoroughly. Not for the first time, he wished he didn’t have to keep up appearances. He had seen students show up to classes with bedhead, still in semi-pyjamas and he found himself envious of them, wanting to do that as well. Especially on days where his _other_ activities kept him up late.

Twenty minutes later, he sat at his desk with the cursed history essay in his hand once again. He stared at the abysmal word count scribbled hastily in the margin, picked up his pen and began to write. The words were clearer in his mind and he rushed to finish.

By the time Natalie knocked on his door, he had managed to finish the essay and find time to start his English homework - his dreaded English homework which, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't complete because the words would not make sense even though they should because he is Adrien Agreste and his father would not accept anything but the best.

"Adrien?" she called from the other side of the door, "Are you ready? Your bodyguard will be ready to pick you up in half an hour. Breakfast is also ready for when you are ready and I will inform you of today's schedule." Adrien responded with an affirmative and heard the soft clack of her heels getting further and further away.

With a sigh, he checked his reflection once again, deeming it decent enough before grabbing his bag and making his way downstairs not looking forward to the busy schedule he would be forced to follow. "Come on, Plagg. I'll get you some camembert on the way," he called out, waiting for Plagg to slip into the pocket of his shirt.

\---

"Marinette?" Sabine called softly up the stairs, "Marinette! You need to get up now! School starts in half an hour. You promised to tell your class about the forms as well." The teenager merely groaned in response as she stretched, getting up from the soft confines of her bed. 

She silently thanked Past Marinette for having the common sense to finish the essay due today. No matter how crappy it was, at least it was done and that was more than she could say for some of her other essays. One thing was for sure; being Ladybug definitely did not help her become the teacher’s favourite as Marinette.

“Bye, mom, dad! Can’t stay, gotta get to school, love you!” she called behind her as she raced down the stairs, grabbing a croissant on the way. One of these days she'd be on time and not have to go through the usual morning rush.

A few minutes later, she stumbled into the classroom. "I'm here!" she yelled, scrambling to get into her seat. The teacher had already begun the lesson but only shook her head with a smile. Everyone was used to Marinette being late- it happened almost constantly.

“Hey girl,” Alya whispered as Marinette took her place beside her friend. She smiled before focusing on the lecture, silently copying from Alya’s notes. The lesson flew by with her diligently noting down what was needed and definitely NOT staring at the perfect locks of blond hair in front of her, absolutely not. (She was so whipped).

\---

The bell rang throughout the classroom and Marinette immediately shot out of her seat. “Madame Bustier! My mom wanted me to give out some forms.” At the teacher’s nod, she turned to the rest of the class, “My mom and dad are holding beginner’s baking classes at the bakery starting next weekend. If any of you would like to apply, the forms are here, in the cafe and in Principal Damocles’ office. Please hand them into my parents before Saturday so they can guarantee you a place.”

She fished the remaining forms from her bag and placed them on Madame Bustier's desk as everyone else began to pack away. Joining the mass of students heading towards the door, she let a tiny grimace enter her face. 

These baking classes were a good idea, but both her parents were already busy serving the never-ending line of customers and she knew they'd ask her to help out. She enjoyed helping her parents in the bakery, it was just sometimes stressful being the daughter of the best bakers in Paris. Finding time to herself was hard enough with her secret identity and homework, let alone when having to run a class all by herself.

Alya grabbed her hand as they left the classroom, dragging her excitedly to the library. The journalist was explaining about a ‘new scoop’ on Paris’s heroes, but Marinette couldn’t bring herself to listen. The late nights were catching up with her. Pulling her hand out of Alya’s, she mumbled something about leaving her pen in class and shuffled away. She loved her best friend, but sometimes she really needed some quiet.

\---

Adrien had tried to resist. He really had. But could you blame him? He had accidentally zoned out during the lesson, preferring to focus on daydreaming about the night before until Marinette spoke up.

Baking lessons. A smile made its way to his face as he recalled the last time he had baked.

_"Adrien!" Emilie shouted. The eight-year-old let out a laugh and shook his hair out before throwing a handful of flour at his mother. "That is NOT what flour is used for!" she scolded before a smile made its way to her face. Without warning, Adrien found himself with a face full of flour._

_"Maman!" Adrien pouted, shaking out his tangled hair. He grabbed another handful and aimed at his mother who tackled him just as he threw it and they watched the thrown flour fly through the sky. Directly in Gabriel Agreste's face. "Uh oh."_

_"_ What _is the meaning of this?" Gabriel demanded, wiping his glasses with a handkerchief produced from nowhere._

_A mischievous smile planted itself on Adrien's face as he stood up, hands behind his back. Before Gabriel could get another word out, his clothes were also doused in white dust. "Whoopsie," he giggled before running off behind the counter._

_"Oh no you don't," his father taunted shaking himself off briefly before racing behind the boy. Emilie followed not a second later, laughing loudly._

_And if the maids found them in a pile of flour with burnt muffins, no one mentioned it. After all, it wasn't every day you got to see Gabriel Agreste on the kitchen floor, covered in flour and smiling._

That was before the modelling began, before the strict diets, before his mother left. It seemed like so long ago. ‘Nevermind that.’ He shook his head and focused his eyes on the empty room and, more specifically, the stack of empty forms.

His eyes lit up with desire. ‘Maybe. Just maybe.’ He glanced around the room, making sure he was alone. Everyone had left already, even Nino, but he wasn't going to take any chances. Slipping out of his bench, he scrambled under the desk on his knees.

Adrien peaked towards the door to check no one had come in and made a crouched sprint across the aisle to hide behind Chloe's bench. He released a relieved breath. If anyone came in and noticed him…

There was a fleeting moment when Adrien saw sense. What if someone saw him? What would his father say? What if his jeans were ruined from crawling around on the floor? The moment passed and he brought his hands to his face, putting his fingers into a gun shape. No, he could be irresponsible for once. He was having way too much fun.

Deciding to go with the secret agent theme, he rolled on the floor and jumped to his feet. He thanked his alter-ego for his newly acquired agility and allowed himself a small victory smile. Turning around, he straightened his arms, hands still in a gun shape, to point at the door…

And into the shocked face of his classmate, Marinette.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The spotted hero swung through the streets with practised ease. Following the screams, she finally found the latest akuma victim. They were standing in front of the Louvre, surrounded by a huge crowd of reporters and civilians alike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aka the chapter that took forever to write. the writer's block is real and frustrating to no end.

“Uhhhh. A-Adrien?!” Marinette squeaked, “W-what are doing you- I mean, what are you doing?” She slowly walked further into the classroom.

The boy in question was still frozen in shock, his eyes blown wide and his mouth gaping open. Marinette places a tentative hand on his shoulder and he seemed to break out of his stupor.

“Sorry! I was, um, practising? For a, um, photoshoot. Which I have to leave for, now!” And with that Adrien shot out the door, cheeks blazing red, leaving behind an extremely confused Marinette.

He shrugged his bag onto his shoulder. Opening the flap, he pulled out the sheet of paper and sighed. At least he had managed to grab the form. He just hoped Marinette didn’t ask any more about it or he would make an even bigger fool of himself.

\---

“ADRIEN!” Alya called out, waving towards the blond, “Can you join us for lunch?”

He nodded, beaming at the thought. The last time Adrien had been able to spend lunch with his friends was months ago. His father insisted that he come home for lunch so Natalie could update his schedule or oversee fittings. It seemed he was always busy lately whether it was superheroing or modelling.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Nino, who immediately swung an arm around him. “So is your father finally loosening up?”

Adrien grimaced. “Unfortunately no. It seems he just wants me to work harder, which makes sense, what, with fashion week coming soon.”

Marinette did a double-take, “Wait. Didn’t you have a photoshoot?” She looked at the blond, eyes narrowing.

Adrien fumbled, “It was, um, it was tomorrow instead of today?”

She stared at him for a few more seconds before nodding and opening her purse.

They reached the courtyard benches, sitting down on the nearest empty one and Alya immediately turned to Adrien. "So, Adrien. What do you look for in a girl?"

He flustered, cheeks turning bright red in a matter of seconds. If he had turned even slightly, he would have seen Marinette was in much the same predicament.

"I-I'm not looking for anyone. J-just someone kind, I guess? Someone who sees me for just Adrien, not Adrien Agreste, the model." He looked down into his lap, salad forgotten as images of a spotted hero filled his head. Not even she cared to know much about him though.

Alya, noticing the drop of the atmosphere, cleared her throat and turned to Marinette. "And yo-" She barely got a word out before a shrill scream sounded out, followed by a low beep on Alya's phone.

"Akuma," Marinette mumbled, standing up quickly. She looked at her friends, "Sorry. I have to get my, uh, pencil case. I left it at home Yeah.” She ran off through the school gates.

If she had waited around, she would have seen Adrien head off in the same direction making a similar excuse.

\---

The spotted hero swung through the streets with practised ease. Following the screams, she finally found the latest akuma victim. They were standing in front of the Louvre, surrounded by a huge crowd of reporters and civilians alike.

As soon as she looked down, she saw the akumatized villain. She looked the same as any other small child, wearing a pink princess dress, her hair in plaits tied with a bow, and a book in her hands. What struck her as odd though was the crown placed upon her head with a distinct purple sheen to it. That must be where the akuma was hiding.

Ladybug attached her yo-yo to a nearby lamppost and swung her way up to the top of the Louvre. The villain didn’t turn around; she was too busy looking through a big book connected to her dress with a sparkly rope.

A light thud alerted her to her partner’s presence. She turned around briefly and sent him a small smile, before concentrating once more on the villain. 

Ladybug watched as the young girl tapped a few words inside the book with her hand. All of a sudden, a cloud of pink dust swirled on the ground below, eventually merging into the form of a wolf except it was not a normal wolf and that became clear as it stood on its hind legs with a grin baring his teeth. “The big bad wolf!” The villain shouted with glee. “Huff and puff and blow them all away!” 

With that, the pink wolf proceeded to release a forceful breath. A few people watching the action unfold were sent hurtling backwards, the brute force of the wolf’s breath lifting them off their feet. 

Ladybug gasped, limbs automatically tensing, ready for action. She leapt forwards, closely followed by Chat Noir. Racing against the flying citizens, a few trees caught her eye and a plan began to form in her mind.

Extending her yo-yo, she wrapped it around one of the trees and used the trunk to vault herself towards the other tree. She repeated this a few times, glad of her enhanced speed and strength as the people sent flying by the wolf rapidly approached.

Not a moment too soon, Ladybug jumped back and sighed in relief as everyone was caught by her hand-made web. A scream left her mouth as the wolf began to chase her and she dashed for the nearest roof. She ran towards an empty alley, joining Chat. “Lucky charm!” Pink enveloped her before fading out to show a-

“A cauldron? Are we gonna become witches and join a cult?” Ladybug looked up from the spotted item and stared at her partner incredulously. He looked way too excited at the prospect of joining a cult. That was a concern for later.

“No, Chat. Do you remember which fairytale had a wolf with strong, bad breath in? The Three Little Pigs. He falls down a chimney into the cauldron. Maybe if we follow through with the story we'll be able to defeat the villain! How are we going to lure him to a chimney though?”

Chat grins. "Leave that to me, my lady. I pride myself on being good bait!" With a wink, he returned to the rooftop to seek out the wolf. Ladybug shook her head fondly and ran off to find and distract the villain.

\---

“HEY WOLF! I’m over here. Are you already huffing and puffing? You’ve barely run at all!” He yelled out, balancing precariously on the edge of the roof of Le Grand Paris.

“I cannot believe you dragged me into this,” Ladybug whispered into her yo-yo as she crawled towards the fireplace in the main room, the cauldron in hand.

“Do you have a better idea? This is better than breaking into a random house.” Chat crouched behind the chimney, looking around for the wolf. “It’s coming this way. You have two minutes.”

“Now!” He said into his baton. He sprang up just as the wolf jumped towards him and pushed, watching as it fell into the chimney in a flurry of pink sparkles.

Ladybug ran towards the door as she saw the water begin to bubble, waiting with her yo-yo ready to capture him if needed. She heard Chat faintly yell “Now!” and jumped forward at the same time the wolf fell into the boiling water. She relaxed as the wolf dissolved in a puff of pink.

“Well, that was anticlimactic.”

She looked behind to see her partner entering the room. “Come on, kitty.”

Just as she was about to leave, a tremor shook the building. Chat Noir ran forwards to confront the villain. She had noticed the two heroes' presence and promptly turned towards them with a look of glee, “Ladybug! Chat Noir! Just the two people I was looking for.” She glanced down at her book again, flipping through the pages rapidly, “Whoops. I guess I should have paid attention to what I was planting,” the girl shouted, throwing something at the duo’s feet.

The ground immediately opened up and Ladybug thanked her and Chat’s enhanced reflexes as they sprang away. In their place now stood a beanstalk in glittery pink, its highest vines hid reaching beyond the clouds. From within the clouds, loud footsteps resounded, shaking the beanstalk and the ground.

“Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today,” Chat remarked as he jumped up away from the vines extending from it. Ladybug shot him an incredulous look before gritting her teeth as another tremor shook the ground below her and the clouds above her. Great. Just what she needed.

Before Ladybug could react, Chat was racing towards the beanstalk. His baton was raised like a sword before him, ready to strike. As Ladybug suspected, the weapon passed straight through the apparition with no effect whatsoever. It seemed her partner never seemed to learn from his mistakes as he continued to assault the beanstalk, letting out occasional war cries.

Ladybug looked on amusedly and noticed that the villain was doing the same from on top of the beanstalk. That must be part of her power- the fact that the pink dust was solid to her but couldn't be touched by anyone else. Well, she and Chat couldn't touch it, but perhaps the miraculous's magic could.

"Chat! Try using Cataclysm!" she called, hoping he would hear her over his cries of "Take that!" and "Well, look who's _bean_ busy”.

“Cataclysm!” The black magic swirled around his gloved hand. Lunging towards the beanstalk, he brought his hand through the dust and leapt back as the apparition began to crumble. The villain let out a faint cry as the beanstalk collapsed under her feet. 

Running forwards, she just managed to catch the young child in her outstretched arms. Chat grabbed the crown lying several feet away and crushed it under his boot. The purple butterfly flew out of it and Ladybug threw out her yo-yo, catching it. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.”

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Her movements were gentle so as not to jostle the girl in her arms.

“Ladybug! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” The child lisped, clutching onto the hero.

Said hero smiled softly, pulling the girl into a loose hug which Chat joined soon after. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. Hawkmoth brings out the worst in us.”

“Amélie? Amélie! Oh, thank goodness.” A blonde woman rushed over to the heroes almost in tears as she caught sight of her daughter.

As mother and daughter embraced each other, Ladybug and Chat Noir raced off into the distance. Their work was done.

\---

Marinette let the magic surround her and watched as the suit disappeared. Tikki flew into her purse, immediately grabbing a cookie and settling into the soft lining. Her content sigh brought a small smile to her owner's face as she began the walk towards her school. For once, she wasn't going to have to walk into class late due to an akuma attack - lunch break must still have at least half an hour left.

Marinette was just reaching the steps leading up to large, oak doors when a shrill wailing began. The bell. She was late! As she ran through the doors and across the courtyard, she mentally slapped herself. The attack must have lasted longer than she thought.

Bursting through the classroom door, she proceeded to trip over nothing and landed on something warm, something ALIVE. Oh no...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aka the chapter that was supposed to be marichat but ended up as fluff and angst. bumpy_bug doesn't write marichat so this fell on me to do but i got carried away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha. so. long time no see. i DID say we had every intention of completing this fic and here we are. bug helped me finish a lot of the planning for the next few chapters and i have an idea of where this will go, rather than just letting the characters run with it. honestly, i had pushed this to the back of my mind until a few days ago where i saw it in the drafts. hopefully this burst of inspiration i have right now will let me finish this fic because i have PLANS for it.
> 
> another thing to note is that, when this was written, the latest season was season 2. to keep this running smoothly, i'm going to disregard anything that happens after unless i think it fits the plot better. the focus of this fic was to get fluffy adrienette in the bakery and angsty ladynoir getting closer so that's what i'll write. thank you to those who stuck around and welcome new readers! we hope you enjoy strawberry cheesecakes!

Green eyes, blown wide, blinked up at her face flushed bright red.

Vision covered by blonde, it took her a few seconds and a screech, which could only come from one spoiled brat to realise what, or rather, who, she had landed on.

An excited whoop caused Marinette to break the intense green gaze and look upwards. The whole class was staring at them. “I mean, Marinette, girl, are you okay?” Heart thudding, hands shaking, the dark-haired girl scrambled to her feet and looked over at Alya. The budding reporter was trying, unsuccessfully, to hold back a smirk. 

Mumbling apologies, Marinette reached out a hand to help Adrien to his feet, blushing and staring at the floor when he smiled awkwardly at her. His hand reached up to rub at the back of his neck and they both stumbled to their seats, missing the smug look that passed between Alya and Nino.

The lesson passed fairly quickly and Marinette’s cheeks had finally returned to a normal colour. Her embarrassment hadn’t melted away though, the result of constantly replaying the scene in her head. It hadn’t helped that Alya had kept nudging her and sending winks across the desk.

By the time the bell rang and everyone rushed towards the door, Alya was practically jumping in her seat with anticipation, only pausing to grab her bag before dragging her best friend and a certain model out of the classroom. Marinette scrambled to keep up with Alya’s eager strides. She was already dreading the conversation about to happen.

They collapsed on a secluded bench and Alya immediately turned to Marinette. “Why did you two walk into the classroom, late, within seconds of each other? And both of you out of breath as if you’d been running?” Oh. That wasn’t what Marinette was expecting, but it was a good question nevertheless.

“I-uh-NO!”

“Not like that, Alya!”

Alya merely laughed as the other two teenagers were left to sputter awkwardly.

\---

“Adrien. Your father has requested you come to his office. He would like to… discuss some decisions you have made,” Natalie said, typing on her tablet.

Adrien started, fumbling to hide the camembert, and faced her, “My father? Y-yeah. I-I’ll go there now."

The slow trudge towards his father’s office left him feeling drained. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. It was a familiar feeling at this point. His father only spoke with him in person when he was scolding Adrien. Nothing good ever came out of it. And yet, each time, he hoped it would be something different. His heart yearned for the loving touch of his father, his _dad_ , from before. The father that loved his wife and his son. The dad that laughed and played games with Adrien late or held him late into the night after a nightmare, whispering soft words of reassurance. Although Gabriel had never been openly affectionate towards others, he used to have a special fondness for his family. Adrien missed that.

He stood in front of the door, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach. He didn't know when Gabriel Agreste became his boss instead of his father but the gradual change had occurred and now he was left feeling lonelier than ever. He took a deep breath and knocked.

“Father? You asked to see me?”

Gabriel Agreste looked up from his tablet, clearing his throat. “Ah, yes. Adrien. Natalie told me about some unplanned changes you want to have added.” He sighed, “Baking classes? Is it really necessary to miss a fitting and interview for baking classes?”

“I-I thought it would be okay to go. I want to go.”

“You have to understand that you have responsibilities and missing either the interview or the fitting will have its consequences.” He focused back on the device.

“I understand, Father, but couldn’t I-”

“My decision is final, Adrien.”

Adrien clenched his fists, trembling, “No.”

Gabriel looked up sharply, “No?”

“You never let me do anything I want, Father. It’s always modelling this and photoshoot that. Why can’t I do something for me just this once?!” His voice was rising in volume, dismissing Plagg’s warning tugs on the overshirt.

“Adrien! You’re representing the Agreste name. This type of behaviour is unacceptable and unbecoming of an Agreste.”

“AND IF I DON’T _WANT_ TO BE AN AGRESTE?!” The shout shocked both of them, dissolving into silence. Seconds passed before he spoke up again, voice just above a whisper, “What if I want to be just Adrien for a while?”

When no answer was given, he sighed and walked towards the door before turning back, “What if I want Gabriel Agreste to be ‘dad’ for a while?”

Gabriel stood at his desk, hand outstretched and mouth hanging open. The mask he so often donned cracked. For the first time since he became Hawkmoth, he ignored the niggling feeling of overwhelming negative emotions that were present whenever Nooroo felt a potential akuma victim.

\---

“What if I want to be just Adrien for a while?”

“What if I want Gabriel Agreste to be ‘dad’ for a while?”

The words were ringing in his head as soon as he said them, incessant like an unwelcome headache. As soon as the door clicked shut, he ran for his room. In the comfort of his walls, he allowed himself to breathe. A tear made its way down his face. He didn’t know what had spurred him on to act like that. It was the first time he had actively stood up to his father. Plagg flew out of the overshirt and placed himself on Adrien’s shoulder, patting his ear softly.

“I-I’m sorry, Plagg. I k-know you tr-tried to stop me. I don’t know what came over me.”

The kwami petted Adrien’s hair, “You did good, kid. I’m glad you finally stood up to him.”

Magical being and owner shared a smile. Maybe Adrien could sort things out with his father, finally do something he wanted to do. Especially with Plagg by his side to help hi-

“Give me some camembert!”

“Oh come on, Plagg, we were having a moment!” He reached into the mini-fridge, pulling out a wheel of the cheese.

“You know I don’t do sappy stuff.”

“Why do I put up with you?”

“I can _see_ you smiling, kid!” The words were muffled behind the camembert but Adrien knew the kwami had a matching smile on his face. He didn’t hesitate to say so.

“I am _not_ turning soft. How dare you accuse me of such a thing. Tikki is the softie!”

And if Adrien pretended to be asleep when he heard Plagg’s soft “love you, kit.” that night, no one would know of it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aka the actual marichat chapter. out of all the lve square ships, we find marichat the most difficult to write. there's just something about the atmosphere you have to create that we really just can't but we tried.

The sun was setting, bathing the Parisian rooftops in soft oranges and pinks. Pedestrians were rushing home, eager to get back to the safety of their beds before night set in. The trees gently swayed in the crisp air. Street lamps on each road lit up the otherwise dull concrete and, one by one, the slight glow of lights in windows faded.

All the while, Chat Noir sat atop the Eiffel Tower, relishing in the atmosphere of a city going to sleep. If someone asked him what the best part of being a superhero was, he would say this. Being able to see Paris in angles no one else would. It was such a contrast to the destruction left in the wake of an akuma attack or the mid-morning rush as children and adults alike went about their business. This was quiet, calm, freedom.

Adrien had always preferred the night to the day. Being the son of Gabriel Agreste, he had been thrust under the media spotlight from a young age and learned early on what was expected of him. But that was in the day. Adrien Agreste cherished each night he had to relax without constantly looking over his shoulder for the media. He cherished every moment he felt free.

But in the ways he loved the night, he also despised it. His nights used to be filled with love. Memories of being swaddled in too many blankets or curled up in between his mom and dad raced through his head in a blur, fuzzy due to their old age. Nights were trying to stay up late like his dad. They were hearing bedtime stories like Le Petit Prince or the English one, Three Little Pigs, from his parents with bad character imitations. They were warmth, love and happiness. Now all he knew was cold, longing and loneliness. Until Chat Noir came along.

When he had told Ladybug that being Chat Noir was the greatest thing to happen to him, he had not been exaggerating. Plagg had saved him from spending the nights alone. Chat Noir had saved him from feeling like a zoo animal in a cage. Nights began to feel warmer. Plagg was like hot chocolate after a long trudge in the snow, warming him up till he was ready to face the harsh weather again.

He sat there until the cold seeped in past his suit and his legs cramped up. It was reaching the earlier hours of the morning as he extended his baton. A quick glance at the city below him had him pause. It was almost 2 and yet a light was still on, burning as bright as it had just after sunset.

Before he could think it through, he was landing on the rooftop and then jumping down to the balco- wait. He recognised this balcony. He knew who’s light was still on. But what was Marinette doing still up? He yelped as he tripped over a stray plant, the clang of it falling sounding loudly. Oh no.

“Chat Noir? What are you doing?” Marinette was stood by the opening to the balcony wearing a knitted sweater and pajama bottoms. Her hair was tied up into a messy bun instead of the usual pigtails. ‘ _Cute… wait what? No. Not cute. Not at all._ ’

“I-uh-well. I was… patrolling and you know, your light was still on?” His voice tapered off into silence and he looked down, ears curling inwards and a red blush painting his cheeks behind the mask; thank god for the mask. His head whipped up when he heard a soft giggle.

“And you decided to check up on me? How heroic. I’m swooning.” Marinette had a cheeky smile on her face. Chat had to hide the shock on his face. Yes, he had seen Marinette confident, shy and excited but this was the first time he had seen her so mischievous, so _flirty_.

He cleared his throat, voice coming out smoother, “Such flattery, princess, I didn’t know you were so swayed with me.”

“Princess?”

“AH- I mean- I-well- Ladybug- You”

“Relax, kitty cat. Who knew you could get so flustered when you flirt so much? I don’t mind” She shivered as she said the words and Chat remembered that, while he had his suit, Marinette wasn’t as well dressed and standing out in the cold winter air was not practical in pyjamas.

“I’ll have you know that I am a perfectly composed gentle-kitty. I don’t _get_ flustered. Don’t think I don’t notice you shivering. It’s too cold out here. You should get inside,” he said, each sentence coming out in rapid succession as he reached for the baton.

“Till we meet again... _purrincess_.”

“Bye- bye, kitty. Don’t stay out too late.” She waved at him, climbing back into her room.

As he got ready for bed, he pointedly ignored both Plagg teasing him about his ridiculously bright red cheeks and his rapid thoughts. And, no, he wasn’t thinking about Marinette. (“What gave you that idea, Plagg?”)

\---

Meanwhile, Marinette was reeling. As soon as Chat Noir had left, she jumped down the steps to her bedroom and… fell on her face.

“Really, Marinette? Why did you jump off the steps? Are you really that exhausted?”

"Tikkiiii!" Why didn't you stop me? I made a fool of myself!"

Tikki just laughed, eating a cookie as Marinette ranted into the pillow.


End file.
